Creating Characters - how to layer

Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 20th Apr 2017

It has been a busy past few months in terms of character creation. I have been lucky enough to participate in not one but two courses on character creation. Having the ability to understand a character, develop it fully and do this in a blink of an eye is an incredible asset for any actor. As a British voice over it is something that I am very proud and honoured to say that I invest in myself so that clients know that I work hard at my art.

In March I was on the amazing Dian Perry Character animation course. Dian is an incredibly talented and funny artist and watching her work is pure joy. So when a place on her course came up, I jumped at the chance. There were so many acting gems and my favourite part was having to ADR an animated cartoon series. Best quote of the day was “If all the elements are the body then the rhythm is the soul”

Then in April, I booked straight onto Stephane Cornicard’s course. He is a well-known voice actor and director and I have been lucky enough to work with him and be directed by him. He has also been in a Bond film which is amazing. I love working with him and watching him in action is magical. So over a course of two days, we played, acted, and developed, over and over again with some lightening quick rounds of accent/language improvisation. You know you have truly let go when you can talk to a fellow actor in their own made up language, be a super hero’s sidekick, a policewoman Vampire and play a Bishop at the trial of Joan d’Arc. Stephane was great at getting up to examine character creation by “defining things by their opposites”.

Apart from loving to learn and exercise my acting muscles, I do these workshops for fun. They are incredibly liberating and when performed right, you just feel the flow and are completely in the moment. Pure Gold. However I do this to be ready, to polish my craft, layer myself and understand how to layer characters and develop. I do them because I am inspired to improve myself because with hard work, practice and dedication comes amazing things.

Last week, I saw how hard work, dedication, practice and patience saw an amazingly talented voice over artist win at the Bafta Games Awards. Female voice over artist, Cissy Jones is an acting inspiration, and many many congratulations for a well-deserved Bafta. Such a humble person who gave such a unifying speech to the voice over community, Cissy has not had a conventional route into voicing and yet has shone through with such magnificent talent that she inspires me daily! She also let me hold her Bafta. I was lucky to meet Nolan North and Troy Baker, such amazingly talented people and funny as well – the voice over dream team! Now, time for me to dream big!